emergency position-indicating radiobeacon
Sign in to saveAlso known as EPIRS, EPIRB, PLB, distress radiobeacon
distress radiobeacon, a tracking transmitter that is triggered during an accident
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- Sbeacons.jpg
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- search and rescue
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- Emergency position indicating radio beacons
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Encyclopedic overview
Overview diagram of COSPAS-SARSAT communication system used to detect and locate ELTs, EPIRBs, and PLBs First generation EPIRB emergency locator beacons
An emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) is a type of emergency locator beacon for commercial and recreational boats; it is a portable, battery-powered radio transmitter used in emergencies to locate boaters in distress and in need of immediate rescue. In the event of an emergency, such as a ship sinking or medical emergency onboard, the transmitter is activated and transmits a continuous 406 MHz distress radio signal, which is used by search-and-rescue teams to quickly locate the emergency and render aid.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “emergency position-indicating radiobeacon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.